


Coastal Dreams

by LittleMoMoe



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Cecaelia!Gladioulus, Cecaelia!Ignis, Cecaelia!Noctis, Cecaelia!Prompto, F/M, Humor, Mystery, Ocean is a scary place, Sea Monsters, Tags May Change, Underwater, Warnings May Change, human!reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:01:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24688063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMoMoe/pseuds/LittleMoMoe
Summary: There's a funny raggedy older man with a crooked pipe that runs a local fishers shack. I always see him in the mornings when I come down to fish, saying stuff along the lines of ‘Be careful of the sea-folk when you’re out there! They like pretty young things like yourself for dinner.' Who would think his warnings would be so real?
Relationships: Everyone & Reader, Gladiolus Amicitia/Reader, Ignis Scientia/Reader, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Reader, Prompto Argentum/Reader, Reader & Other(s), Reader/Everyone
Comments: 11
Kudos: 99





	1. A Fishing Misunderstanding!

**Author's Note:**

> Dusting off another old fanfiction that I started a long time ago. What do you guys think? What do you want to see in future chapters? And yes, this was influenced by some fan art that I happened to come across once.

The sun's bright blinding rays warm my back while I paddle my old beat-up bicycle, cruising down from my cliff-side home along a long narrow dirt road path. My fishing pole continues to swing aimlessly from the small cargo trailer hooked tightly behind my bike, passing through my small boondocks of a town off a nearby coastal area. Already the place is blustering with activity as the townsfolk greet one another. Almost like every other morning with those bright, welcoming grins as they wave to any wander that comes strolling in. I return with my versions of _‘Hellos’_ and _'How do you do'_ after all, as they say, no one is a stranger in a small town. One of the many reasons that I enjoy exploring is because of the beautiful pale sandy beaches that can be found down by the shoreline, and the sparkling clear blue water is perfect for fishing. A smile forms across my lips as thoughts of discoveries that could await me today. My mind continues to cook up all the possible or impossible outcomes that could anticipate my curious mind by the coast today. 

"I'll bring back something for dinner too. Clam Chowder sounds good." I hum a soft tune as I bring my bike closer to the rickety old pier, dirt and sand spurting up from under my wheels in a dust cloud trail.

Sea birds and fishing boats basking out far from the nearby shallows that I usually linger around. I could barely make out the sails, masts, and let alone the fishermen working onboard—parking my bike against the still surprisingly sturdy pillars to rest as I remove my fishing gear from the wagon fasted in the back.

“The water looks way clearer than yesterday, maybe something good will happen?” I spoke to no one in particular as I walk down the walkway, my eyes skim over the surface of the seemingly calm water while taking in my surroundings.

The local fishing shack is an enjoyable journey from town, and just six yards away from where I am on the pier, mostly run by a funny older man with a crooked pipe. I always see that guy in the mornings when I come down to fish, saying stuff along the lines of _‘Be careful of the sea-folk when you’re out there! They like pretty young things like yourself for dinner.'_

"Come to think about it; I haven't seen him in town for a while now…" I pause near one of the small fishing boats, staring at the old building with expecting eyes. "I wonder if I should go check on him later…" Quickly, I turn my attention back to the boat as I start loading my fishing gear onboard, humming a tune as I do.

Once settled, I untie the leash with the quickness of an expert as I push hard against the board. I gather up the oars that are always tucked away underneath the seat in front of me, and I start to paddle my little raft out farther to the center part of the surrounding shallows where it’s just a bit deeper.

The beach that surrounds the local area is different than any other I've seen. The water is always this bright crystal blue while the sand is white and very fine. The shallows are about six feet deep, with it being a near sixty-five miles long and twenty-five miles wide, forming a near-perfect circle but with a good fourth of it spilling out into the open sea. When the tide is high, the _‘doorway’_ as I like to call it opens, when the tide is low, it's closed, simple as that. Most locals don't bother with it, so they do their fishing at the other side of the beach where it's easier and safer for their larger boats, but for me, I do my fishing when the tide is low, like it is right now, in my favorite spot since there's a chance the flow could have brought something in this time.

I always find myself curious about what lurks underneath the water surface, plus my mother is almost always away from home. I can have fun exploring. However, she still brings back strange and exciting things from her trips but doesn’t say much about them. So I find myself theorizing what they could be and how they might have found it. It also helps that our house has a library with many books, some I haven’t even opened yet.

 _‘I wonder how she's doing right now,'_ I settle into my fishing spot before looking over the rail as little silver fishes swim just below the bottom of my boat.

"First, I'll cast my net and see what I'll get!~." I singsong as I gather up the fishing net with my tiny, nimble fingers, my target: the cluster of clams and mussels that gather around the rocks when the tide is low.

A couple of strange shadows quickly darted just out of sight from the corner of my eye; I don't dwell on the dark blobs and gurgle of bubbles.

 _‘If I can't catching them by sight, might catch something by a net.'_ hobbling along with that in mind with the slight rocking of the little boat as I maintain my balance, carrying the net over towards the rim with caution. _‘Even pros can’t predict an accident!’_ I recite that line over and over in my mind as I get into position.

I toss the net over the side of my little fishing boat with careful practice, thankful that this time, I didn't go along with it or get my fingers tangled up instead.

Grinning from ear to ear as I observe the net's rope with keen eyes, _‘Hey! I might get something interesting along with dinner!~.’_ my thoughts fluttered along with excitement beating in my chest.

It's a common phenomenon for people to be surprised that I'm roughly sixteen years old, but how I show off what I've learned, I tend to give off a much older vibe. I give the net's rope a firm tug, testing the weight on the other side with a grin stretching across my lips. The importance of my catch is evident, along with steady resistance from the other end. Mass causes drag, so I must have caught a lot to make it this difficult to pull up all by myself. One thing that struck me as odd is how it felt like it would get stuck almost repeatably. There aren't many corals or many ragged rocks in the shallows to get caught on. It felt like my catch was still trying to swim away or with some force pulling it back down, hard.

“Come on! What's going on?-” My curiosity is piqued the more I fight against whatever it is pulling back an forth. “You better be something good, or at least taste decent enough!” The curiosity that I had is now turning to frustration the longer I fight against exhaustion and my screaming underage muscles.

Finally, I can see a breach in the crystal water surface, the break that I was hoping for as the cold saltwater droplets splash and sputter against my face. All I can see are the smooth grays and brown shells of various bivalve mollusks and small silvery scaled fish wiggling through the small holes. The more I bring up my catch from the waters below, the more that I pull up, the more notice something is a bit off. Something is entangled within my net that doesn't belong, tuffs of something yellow and soft, almost like Chocobo chick down poking free among the scales and shells. 

"That almost…looks like…hair?" sparks of excitement and curiosity flare my tired limbs back into action, heaving up the swollen net onto my boat. "Oh! I might have hit the jackpot!" I squeal in delight.

Spilling the contents on board for sorting, what I keep will go into my bucket, and the rest goes back into the water. My eyes skim over every piece with my heart beating a mile per minute when they land on what appears to be yellow-orange squirming tentacles speckled with brown and yellow bits. The underbelly is pale-yellow and rigged with suckers rimmed with the needle-like teeth.

 _'An octopus? Never caught one of those before, never seen one this color, either.'_ These soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusks are known to change their size, mass, and color to fool prey and foe alike. _‘But this, I’ve never seen one become this color for any reason.’ m_ y brain hurts even more as I keep skimming over my prize; the tentacles faded into light skin covered in freckles of a human torso. _‘An octopus fused with a person? Huh?'_ sweat is beading across my brow along with the saltwater dripping down my face.

Arms, torso, and a rounded freckled-faced child with a head of soft unruly blonde hair of a person, but the lower-half has yellow-orange squirming octopus-like tentacles. They've drawn their arms close to their chest, their bright blue eyes are blown wide with fear, and thin, softly colored lips quiver. I can't tell their age or gender at all, but I guess they could've been around mine if I go by how they look, human wise that is.

"P-Please." the creature finally mutters out words to add to my surprise. "Please don't eat me!" they cry out as streams of tears pour down its round chubby cheeks; their body is visibly trembling.

My boat shakes as the water ripples aggressively before it erupts all around me; three other human-like figures surround the raft from the water. Tentacles spooling in to cling to the railing, the others don't look much older than the one on board with me.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on him, human!" The smaller of the two within the water growls, it's unruly pitch-black hair clings to its face, deep blue sapphire eyes peering straight at me. "You can't eat our friend!"

_‘I think we’ve got a misunderstanding here.’_


	2. Chapter two: Tangled Once Again!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing this, I was thinking about different worlds with a different perspectives, terminology, and viewing from both parties. Also, the guys look around 7 and 10 possibly a little older; I want to explain that phenomenon further in the next chapter (hopefully).

_"Don't you dare lay a finger on him, human!"_ those words echoed in my mind. _‘S-so it’s a boy then, I gotta remember that.’_ sweat and perspiration glistening on my skin.

I find myself pressed against the farthest side of the boat, the rail digging into my back as I try to make sense of what I'm looking at right now. Squiggling tentacles spilling in as the other three octopus-people are rocking my boat until the smaller one pulls into my raft. Its unruly pitch-black hair is clinging to its porcelain white face, deep-blue sapphire eyes glaring at me with full-blown anger. If I wasn't freaking out, I might have thought this was by far the neatest thing I found, but since I am freaking out, all I wanted was to get back to shore. I feel something cold and slimy wraps around my ankle, clenching me tightly in a firm grasp as I’m pulled away from the railing in an instant.

_*Thunk*_

My head meets with the floor. Pain shooting through my skull like a bolt of lightning as I held it, already I could feel the lump forming. I was hissing in pain before sitting up, startling the others as I glare at the dark-haired octopus-kid who climbed into my boat without conceit.

“That hurt! What do you think you’re doing?” before I knew it, I’m yelling at the top of my lungs with a burning sensation of the knot forming on the back of my head.

“W-well you deserved it!” is the only so-called cleaver response I get from the black-haired creature, “You were trying to take Prompto back to your lair and eat him later, we heard you!” pointing a clawed finger lightly against my chest as if it didn’t want to hurt me again. “Humans are all the same!"

 _‘Those look…’_ grasping his wrist, they all flinch in surprise as I carefully wiggle one of the digits. _‘They’re hard and smooth, ridged underneath near the tip of the fingers like some kind of crustacean!’_ my eyes gleam as I look over all five digits, noting that they became softer around the palm, but the skin seemed to be thicker or sturdier in regards.

“Whoa, you got like real claws!” I found my anger quickly dissipating as it promptly changes to a smile that's beaming with radiance at the dark-haired creature.

“A-ah, yeah?” the tension seemed to drain, a conflicting look danced across its deep-blue eyes while trying to retain a non-emotional expression.

“That’s so cool,” my voice trails as I pressed my hand against his, curious as it became more apparent with how much larger those icy hands seem to be in comparison. “Do you all have claws like these?” noting the deep midnight purplish-blue hard-shell tipped-claws.

"No, I mean," quickly, it shakes its head in disbelief. "What the hell am I saying, you humans go around lying and destroying whatever you come across! Give Prompto back!"

“Wow, for a moment there you looked like you got sidetrack, Nocts.” the largest of the group suddenly speaks up, smirking as it crossed its arms over the rim of the boat while laying its head on them.

"Hm," the other beside it seemed to be wearing some kind of glasses. I watched as it adjusted them with a long tentacle, their claws digging into the rim effortlessly.

"Sure, give me a moment," the reply fell so quickly from my lips as I maneuvered around the squiggling tentacles. "So you're Prompto? Sorry for scaring you," his bright blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight as I untangle the blond creature from the net, going slow and gentle as I could muster. "That should be miles better."

"That sure was fast and painless," the substantial creature perks with interests as the dark-haired one, Noct wasn’t it, crawls to the other side of the boat, causing it to rock slightly.

"So, I'm not getting eaten?" Prompto asks as he crawls free from the netting.

“Looks that way,” Glasses seems amused at Prompto’s wide eyes frantically looking around between the two parties.

*Crunch*

My head whips around to see Nocts eating as live spazzing fish from the discarded pile that I had yet to sort out. The small silvery fish that I worked so hard to catch and a calm blank expression gobbling them up without consent.

"Hey! Those are mine!" I scoff in disbelief, watching as it carries on, biting through bones and scales as the tail twitches before disappearing down its gullet with a swallow.

“Nope, mine.” it retorts before licking its thumb, clearly satisfied.

"I don't know who or what-" I found myself flailing as I gestured up and down its figure before gesturing to the others who were still watching with interest. "You things are, but I caught those fish, so they are mine!"

“I think cecaelia is what you’ve come to know us as,” the glasses-wearing creature speaks up once more, raising a brow.

"O-oh, okay, then are you all-" another awkward pause as I gesture them with pursed lips. "Nevermind, I don't wanna know." deadpanning as I slump back to the floor.

*Click, Slurp*

I'm frowning more as I glance at the blonde, who is currently eating an unusually large mussel. Prompto awkwardly chuckles as he drops the shells, scratching at his drying tussled hair, embarrassed that he got caught.

“Sorry, I was so relieved that I remembered how hungry I was.” Prompto fidgets more as the others start grabbing up my catch.

“I don’t even care anymore,” sighing as I hear the mix melody of snapping bones and slurping as they continued.

"You're not that bad of a guy, for a human that is," the sizeable rugged-looking creature grins as it eats a fish in few quick bites.

“I have a name, you know.” huffing as I sit up when an idea struck me like a bolt of lighting. “Say, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!”

"Hm," Nocts, the dark-haired one, murmurs before creeping around, it's dark purplish-blue tentacles probing at my left leg and foot.

"I am Ignis Scientia," glasses speaks up, fixing their dirty-blond hair as it sweeps up at the front of their hairline, jewel green eyes seem to sparkle. "You've already met Prompto, Prompto Argentum, that is." Ignis went on, gesturing to the blond who smiles at me this time.

"Hey, I'm Gladiolus Amicitia," the biggest one greets me with a wide grin, confidently pointing at himself with his clawed thumb.

I could see a solid swell of muscle with many scars marrying its tanned body; longish brown hair shaved along the sides with a strong jaw, warm deep chocolate-brown eyes linger on my face. The longer I stared, I notice little hairs poking from its chin.

 _‘I-I guess it’s safe to assume it’s a he,’_ blushing more, I did want to give them the benefit of the doubt. _‘I wonder if they are all guys, do their species even have any females or are they like a hermaphrodite?’_ suddenly, the thought made me a little queasy as that would apply many other unpleasantries.

"And, um, I'm Noctis Lucis Caelum," the dark-haired cecaelia finally speaks up but keeps their gaze to the coast. "Guess I was wrong about you, but you are still weird," it adds while owning that blank expression.

"Me? How so?" perking up, curiously at how soothing his voice sounded all of a sudden.

“What kind of a guy, let alone a human goes around hunting in the shallows by themselves?” those deep-blue eyes are now lingering on my face, piercing and cold. “You are outmatched and outnumbered, that’s pretty dumb in itself.”

"I'll have you know that I can take care of myself!" my blood is boiling now as I can feel my face heating up, "I don't need your permission or anybody else! I've done fine by myself!" I shouldn't be getting mad, it was only a passing comment, but I couldn't stop. "And stop calling me 'guy' as if we're friends, I'm a girl, goddamn it!" I didn't know that I was screaming at the top of my lungs until I took a few deep breaths.

“What’s ah… girl?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And when the reader thinks about the term 'hermaphrodite,' she's thinking about various snails, slugs, some fish and lizards, and the 'rough' mating that it implies. So yeah that's a thing now, anyway thank you for reading thus far and if you got any ideas feel free to let me know!


	3. Chapter three: A Hen is A Hen No Matter The Color!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to publish this sooner, but I had too many ideas for this chapter. Hopefully, this one turned out alright, let me know what you think cause it might a while before I come back to this story.

_"What's ah... girl?"_ Prompto murmurs aloud while placing his clawed finger against his bottom lip, eyes full with curiosity.

 _'Huh?'_ my eye twitches as my mind is riling with even more questions, sweat and seawater drenching my clothing as the sun rose even higher. _'T-they can't be serious, right?'_

"I believe it's a human term for _hens_ or at least for their females in general," Ignis calmly comments while his tentacle adjusts his wired glasses again. "It's interesting to see one on the water, how odd," he holds his chin between those carapace claws.

"Wow, seriously? That explains why they're so cute, all flustered and soft like that," Gladiolus looks eager to leap into my boat at that moment, rocking it as he tries to heave himself over the railing with a wide grin etched into his face.

"H-hey, watch it!" my balance is knocked off-kilter as I fumble forward, and my face meets his broad chest. "Ouch!" I cling to his bicep as a feeble attempt to regain my balance.

"I gotcha," his deep voice rumbles as his arms wrapped loosely around my hips, his rich umber colored tentacles cling firmly to the edge of the boat. "Sorry about that, guess I got a bit excited there?" Gladiolus chuckles while bashfully scratching the side of his head.

"Seriously?" Noctis deadpans as he leans back against the hull of the boat, elbows propped up over the railing. "She looks like any other human, female, or otherwise."

"That may be so," Gladiolus makes a strange bubbly-purring noise that rose somewhere within his muscular chest. "But she feels so warm and soft," he practically coos as his embrace tightens around me, constricting my movement.

"H-hey, I'm not a teddy bear!" I grumble as I try to wiggle out of his near bone-crushing hug. "Come on, let me go!" pouting as I keep trying to pry his arms off me.

"Aw, a little longer," the giant hums, and it almost looks like he was beaming with pure bliss.

"You look like you're having fun," Ignis comments nonchalantly with his elbow propped on the rail and his chin resting in his palm.

"Man, Iggy, you gotta try this!" Gladiolus carefully brings my form closer to the other; Ignis' green eyes widen in surprise.

 _'I'm going to fall out of the boat at this rate!'_ my thoughts are racing at this point as I tumble right-side into Ignis' outstretched arms.

It looks like he became larger at that moment, but I couldn't understand how that was possible. The only thing that I did know was that his body grew to soften the blow, looking up at him as he cradles my body like I was a glass doll. His green eyes give off a curious glimmer behind his lenses while his hands grope around my sides and upper arms. His cheeks are lightly dust in pink as his form shrinks back to the smaller size that I've become more familiar with from the start.

"H-how did you-"

"She's so warm and squishy," Ignis comments with a hint of surprise, carefully pinching and maneuvering random pieces of fat. "I wonder if all human hens are this malleable?" he hums while continuing to let his curious hands explore any expansion of flesh he could find.

"Don't feel me up like that without my consent, you bunch of perverts!" I'm a blushing mess at this point as I crawl away from his wandering hands. "What's up with you guys, haven't you heard of personal space or something?" fuming with rage as I held myself away from the curious two still sitting in the water.

"Wow, she even smells amazing!" Prompto bubbles while doing his best to keep his claws to himself, curling his tentacles thoughtfully over each other.

"Hey!" I pull myself away from the little blond, unwittingly backing into the railing in my frenzy of trying to get away from the others.

"I-I'm sorry!" his blue eyes widen as he notices that I almost fall out of the boat in my frantic state. "I couldn't help myself, but be careful. I heard humans aren't great with water!"

"W-whoa-!" I could feel my body toppling backward as I try to stay upright as I frantically wave my arms, narrowly missing the plunge into the shallows; instead, I fall into a firm cushion of something leathery, cold, and slimy.

"For something so small, you're quite bothersome," Noctis sighs while his tentacles carefully prod and curl around my body.

_'Small? You're smaller than I am!'_ I mentally yell at Noctis as I can feel my face heating up from embarrassment and being so close to him.

"You need to be more careful," he grumbles as my head laid on his cold chest while his hands hover over my torso as if he wasn't sure what to do next.

"Hey, not a bad catch there, Nocts," Gladiolus passively comments with a smug grin.

"Shut up," Noctis batters back while furrowing his brows, deciding to move his claws away instead. "She just fell on me," his unexpressive gaze looked out at sea, emotionless like a mask returned to his face.

"Then, since you don't care, can I have her back?" the big guy wiggles a brow while slightly leaning in over the rail. "Come on; she's like a warm sea cucumber!" Gladiolus playfully coos with a light blush dusting over his tan cheeks.

"Hold up!" I hold my hands up, sitting up with a huff. "I've got a question!" pointing an accusing finger at Ignis, who is slightly startled at my action. "How did you do that trick earlier?"

"Trick?" he tilts his head as if he was a puppy. "What do you mean?" owlishly blinking his vibrate green eyes before readjusting his glasses again.

"You shrunk and grew on demand, how did you do that?" I went on as I narrowed my gaze.

"Oh, that," he calmly holds his chin in thought. "It's hard to explain to creatures such as yourselves, but I guess we take in water like so, see?" Ignis starts to shift around before puffing out his chest as he grew larger right in front of me.

 _'Like a balloon,'_ I stare in awe as I watch him shrink back down to his previous size.

"We can hold this form for only so long, but it works," sighing as if it took a lot of him even to try it, let alone hold it for very long.

"I see," tilting my head in thought. "So, your species can change their size, do they also change their color on a whim like a regular old octopus?"

"Essentially, yes," Ignis deadpans before casting a sidelong glance at Noctis. "We best be going, but you are a curious case," he added while holding his chin in between his thumb and forefinger claws. "I didn't know humans could also change their color on command,"

"I-It's not like that!" I rattle, even more, comically sweatdrop at his accusations.

"D-does that mean we won't see her again?" Prompto whines, twirling his claws, plump lips pouting.

"That would be ideal," Ignis replies to his blond companion, a slight frown hangs on his handsome features. "Why do you ask, I thought you out of all of us would be delighted." he blinks quizzically, puzzled at the other's change in demeanor.

"Yeah, in any other situation, I-I might have been..." his ocean blue eyes trails off. "But now,"

"But now you want to become friends with her?" Gladiolus jumps into the conversation, startling the group in the process. "I guess there's no helping it. She is too cute for her good." he smiles as he waves off his shy blond friend who looks like he was staring holes through the floor of my boat.

"I don't mind if you want to hang around here," the words flew from my lips. I didn't see any harm in being friends with these guys.

"Yeah, but-"

"No one else comes out here, so it's the safest place I know," I cut off Ignis' worry rant. It became clear he was more of a motherly figure of the group. "I came out here a lot; it'll take a lot more to scare me from my favorite fishing spot that a much of weirdos."

"Hey, who are you calling a weirdo?" Noctis sits up quickly; for the first time, I notice a smile on his non-expressive features.

"You know what they say; a hen is a hen even if it's of a different species."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading thus far! Let me know what you would like to see in future chapters and I might consider it!


	4. A Personal Nightlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for keeping this chapter away from you, my beloved readers, for so long! I wasn't sure how to write it, but I think this one came out better than I thought!~ Regardless, let me know if it needs tweaking in certain areas.

It’s been about two weeks since that very first meeting with the Cecelias named Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus, and Ignis. Oddly enough, I haven’t seen them as often as I would have liked since then. It wasn’t because I didn’t try to visit them, but that they wouldn’t be there in the saltwater lake during either the morning or the afternoon when I would come down to fish. It even started to get to me that I couldn’t see my new aquatic friends as I hoped since our meeting. Even when we made that promise to see each other again, I guess we never did specify a day or time.

“Even so, it would be nice to see them again. Those guys better have a damn good excuse why they made a lady like me worry.” I muttered underneath my breath while holding my chin in thought. ” I-I mean, I’m not worried at all about those idiots! Not one bit!” I quickly recovered from that brief slip-up, covering my mouth from the sudden shout.

I earned a few surprised glances in my direction, as I’m trying to play it off to the best that I could without making eye contact. My ears feel like they are burning as I keep my head down, burying my face into my shirt. I am quickly picking up my pace as I hurry down the road, my fishing bucket in my left hand while my rod is in my other. I decided that I wouldn’t need my bike today as the sun sets below the horizon. The sky changes from a vibrate blue to deep royal purple hues blending with warm golds and reds.

Walking along the narrow road, enjoying the cooling breeze against my face and ruffling my hair. I still want to see my friends, but I’m getting tired of hoping that I’ll see them every time I go down to the beach and them not being there. I know that we haven’t known each other for very long, but I would’ve thought they would have a little more faith in me. Pouting as my grip tightens around the bucket’s handle, frustrated that I still have no idea where or what happened to them. I wonder if they made it back to their home and just forgot about me altogether as of late. Maybe they were only sparing my feelings.

“Sparing my feelings? Hah! If I do see those jerks, I’m going to make them regret that they made me wait so much.” I grumble underneath my breath once I made it to the beach, feeling the soft sand under the soles of my shoes. “I don’t care what their reasons are. Leaving a friend hanging like that is just rude!” The gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shoreline does little to calm my growing anger.

Even the sunset's glamorous beauty over the water’s surface goes unnoticed as I walk across the creaking old pier. The wood seems to cry from underneath my feet with each step I take as I make my way to one of the bobbing boats tethered to the standing pillars without fail. Street lights come to life from within town along with the glittering of stars blooming across the darkening sky, the moon slowly peering from its heavenly blanket. In contrast, the sun sinks further below the horizon until it’s a mere sliver of its former self. Descending into its long-awaited slumber below the waves’ gentle rocking, the lullaby of the night riding on the wind.

I was climbing into the boat while humming along with the subtle chirping of crickets and soft singing of sea-birds flying overhead. Settling myself into my seat as I remove the oars tuck underneath the bench. I am untying the rope before pushing off, rowing my raft out into the open waters without issue like always. For a moment, it almost felt like it did that day, even though it has slowly become night. But the calmness feels too familiar that it’s almost nostalgic. Looking out at the small town’s lights and a starry canopy hanging overhead reflecting in the still water is virtually breathtaking!

I start to slow down my pace as I rest my arms over the railing, a lazy smile playing on my lips while watching the water. Small fishes seem to swim by casually as if they, too, were coming by to watch the pretty lights. Maybe they were, after all, fish known to be attracted to shiny things. Their scales were glistening like stardust, and bioluminescent algae were illuminating the shallows in an alien light. This is the first time I’ve dared to come out here by myself at night—the moon performs its slow dances overhead to a gentle lullaby. 

It seems to be grinning across the water’s surface as it continues its waltz among the stars across the darkening sky. My mind begins to wander as my fingertips gently stork across the thin barrier, sending ripples along the surface. Things that I usually come out here to forget are suddenly bombarding my mind, one after the other. You know, there are not many kids around my age in a small town, don’t get me wrong, there are some. But, I guess they don’t care much about chatting to someone like me. 

Some people would have thought that it’s impossible not to have made a friend by now in a small town. But the only friends I thought I had were four strange-looking creatures that wanted to drown me for a misunderstanding on my part, I might add. Maybe that was just some wishful thinking at this point? Perhaps I should go home and curl up under my blankets and forget about weird octopus boys. I mean, those things don’t just happen out of the blue like that.

“Hah, with my dumb luck, I probably imagine the whole thing, and now I’m starting to go crazy like the old guy back at the port!” I grumble to myself as I continue watching the waves; several fish continue swimming around my boat. “That sounds about right because there is no such thing as ‘the sea-folk’ or whatever nonsense,” pouting as I slap the surface of the water, causing the school of fish below to scatter in fear suddenly.

 _‘And here I thought I wanted to do some late-night fishing, but all I’m doing is moping around,’_ my thoughts are bitter as my gaze narrows slightly. I could feel the prickle of tears form from the corners of my eyes. _‘G-great. Am I going to cry over something so stupid?’_ frantically, I start fighting against the apparent tears threatening to spill from my eyes. _‘This is so stupid!’_ furiously wiping away the tears that manage to spring free with my sleeves.

“Are you okay?” A seemingly familiar voice reaches my ears, along with the subtle rocking of my boat.

 _‘W-who is that? No one should be out here,’_ my mind and heart flutter as I try to see through the blurry veil of tears.

A warm dull gold glow greets my gaze from underneath my boat and almost mere inches from my face. Familiar soft short unruly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, light freckles dusting over their nose and cheeks. Fair skin glistening with seawater and strangely familiar yellow-orange squirming octopus-like tentacles are spooling in from over the railing. My eyes widen as I notice that soft round face and gentle gaze peering up at me from the clear water.

“P-Prompto?” His name leaves my lips like a loaded question; I want to believe that it wasn’t another dream, and my friend was there.

“That’s me,” Prompto replies with a sad smile playing on his lips. “Are you okay?” He asks again while clinging to the boat with his tentacles while reaching out with his claws. “Please tell me if something is wrong,” anyone who didn’t know any better would have found this to be nightmare fuel, but all I could feel was a wave of comfort as he gently cupped my face with his claws. “What are these leaking from your face? I don’t like them very much,” Prompto went on as he gently brushes the tears away with a lone brunt-yellow digit.

“T-these aren’t anything important, Prom,” I reply with a meek smile as I place my hand over his. “But what are you doing out here by yourself? And why are you glowing like that?” I ask as I can feel my tears starting to dry as the water erupts from nearby.

“Prompto, humans call those ‘Tears’ any manifest with extreme emotions and sometimes with foreign debris.” Another familiar voice greets my ears; glancing sideways, I can make out the shadowy figure.

“I-Ignis?” My voice wobbles as my eyes widen; I notice that he, too, is glowing from underneath the waves. “You’re here also? Are the others with you too? Where are they, Ignis?” I ask as I can feel my smile growing across my face.

“We’re all here, Cutie!~” This time, it’s Gladiolus’ deep voice that breaches my ears in that annoying flirty tone. “Even the sleepy grump is here too,” he playfully points over his shoulder at the raven-haired boy named Noctis.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Noctis replies with a wave of his hand and a slight smile on his coy features.

“As for your other question. Our bodies naturally glow like this since we live in the deepest part of the ocean for as far as our history dates back,” Ignis replies while adjusting his glasses.

“Wow, you guys are like your own personal nightlights!” I shout in surprise as Prompto pulls his hands away from my face.

_“I could be your personal nightlight if you want, whatever that is."_

**Author's Note:**

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